Should never have sent her
by JTSplash
Summary: She’s waiting for some answer, some form of agreement and they both know she doesn’t need it but its nice she asks and nice for her to hear. AN: Set after BeachHead in Season 9, it's a working title, so any other ideas:P.


He waits until the third ring before grabbing the cordless and grumbles an "O'Neill" into the phone, picking up the clothes that lay strewn over the back of the couch.

"Hey…" The voice is hesitant letting him know something's on her mind, something he probably won't like and he's definitely(!) not in the mood for it.

"Carter. Thank God….that menace is driving me crazy….she's been down here tr--"

"Jack!! You seen my Mobile!!" He closes his eyes and quickly stops himself from hurrying up there and throttling the little dear.

"I'm on the phone Cass!!" He takes a deep breath and returns to the call. "She's going out with Darryl again.."

"I like him." Well of course she did. What wasn't there to like apart from the fact he looked like a creature of the night and had pins stuck in places, he a hard assed General wouldn't even dream of putting.

"Carter his face is covered in metal…" The living room looks like the aftermath of a war between Barbie and Syndey as he picks his way through the mess, where the hell was the remote.

"He's a nice guy once you get t-"

"I don't want to get to know him," He finds the remote for the TV underneath a pile of magazines that he wouldn't think about touching let alone reading, and turns on the hockey game he taped last night. "When are you coming home?" He hears the smile and realises that he likes the sound of home. It had taken him a while to get used to being away from Colorado and the guys but now…

"Yeah about that see--…" He stands faster than he should, knowing he'll regret it later and quickly paces the room.

"I knew it was a bad idea sending you back. The second you stepped back in there and--"

"Sir."

"Ahahahah" he holds his hand up to stop her even though he knows she can't see him, this is not one of those conversations. "Sam…"

She sighs, and shuffles a little. "Jack….Cameron asked me come back and…Daniel and Teal'c are here and…"

"We talked about this" He knows he sounds like a spoilt brat but he thinks its only fair since he just spent the morning sitting through a parade of different outfits Darryl might like. He shouldn't have had to see his little Cassie in some of those things that he was definitely burning the second she got out of the house. He didn't know how Janet did it.

"I know but…" sure he didn't have much to offer her. The regulations were still there and…though they both knew how each felt, at least with her at a desk there was less attention, less frowning on them. "Carter I can't do this. Home security, Cassie and worry about you out there…." Waving, he trails off and they both understand.

"I miss it." God so did he….all of it. But it wasn't just his position stopping him. He was old. His body couldn't keep up with it all… another battering and….

She's waiting for some answer, some form of agreement and they both know she doesn't need it but its nice she asks and nice for her to hear. He sighs…a million thoughts running through his head…

"You'll be back here as soon as you get some downtime." He can already hear her small grin, knowing that its tearing at her just as much as its tearing at him, but at least they have just that little bit more than before.

"Promise."…

"Good" he settles back down on the chair glances about…"So…"

"How many did she try on?"

"I'm pretty sure her wardrobe is all here…." He wants to tell her he misses her which is stupid because he only saw her off two days ago and he was never this needy before.

"Just give the guy a chance….Dad wasn't so keen on you at first…"

"We were never…"

"He knew…..I think everyone did"

"But us…" they both sigh, and then smile, the memories of the many who had believed in them…

"Tell Cass I love her…..I'll see you soon."

"Yeah…." He hesitates again fighting an inner battle of what he should and shouldn't say. It was all still new he didn't want to move too fast or too slow but how did you…"Night"…The coward wins out. But he knows she knows…and that's enough for now. He lowers the phone long after she's gone and sits watching but not really seeing the hockey game, his mind flitting over thoughts of her….broken into by the ringing of the doorbell as Cassie bounds down the stairs.

"Night Jack!"

"Hold it! I did NOT say yes to that" He stands quickly and god he thinks he's having a heart attack his respect for good old doc Fraiser increasing for the 20th time that day. Where the hell did this kid think she was going?!! How long til Carter was back!


End file.
